Interview with Omaha Maverick Hockey #oldbull Forward Harrison Israels
On this special episode of the Mavpuckcast, Jon and Jason have a wide-ranging chat with former Omaha Maverick Hockey forward Harrison Israels (now playing professional hockey in the ECHL for the Florida Everblades). Israels (a native of Mississauga, Ontario) talks about his career, how he ended up choosing the Mavericks in the transfer portal (after four seasons with Alaska-Fairbanks), how he prepares for games, his favorite road venue to play in, his love for travel, hobbies, and goals.
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Defenseman Jackson van de Leest has been loaned to the Stingrays by the @UticaComets, and the Stingrays have signed defenseman Nolan Krenzen to an ECHL contract. Welcome to the Lowcountry, Jackson and Nolan! 🌴
Below is the Omaha Hockey team’s final lineup for the NCHC quarterfinal round game two against North Dakota at Baxter Arena. Emojis have been placed over players whose eligibility has expired, entered the transfer portal, or signed on with a team to play professional hockey.
With a win last Saturday night in Grand Forks, Omaha Hockey has secured home ice at Baxter Arena for the NCHC playoff quarterfinals. They will meet up again with last weekend’s opponent, the University of North Dakota, for a best-of-three series this weekend to determine which team will advance to the final Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minnesota, “The Last Call in St. Paul.” (The playoff format will change to campus sites for the 2025-26 season.)
Omaha ended the regular season in fourth place with a 18-15-1 overall record, 14-9-1 in the NCHC. North Dakota finished in fifth place with a 19-14-2 overall record, also 14-9-1 in the NCHC. North Dakota is ranked no. 17 in the USCHO.com weekly poll and no. 18 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll. Omaha is no. 20 in the USCHO poll and received votes in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll.
Game one will be Friday, March 14 at 7:07 p.m. Game two will be Saturday, March 15 at 7:07 p.m. If necessary, game three will be Sunday, March 16 at 6:07 p.m.
Fans were thrilled to see forwards Tanner Ludtke and Harrison Israels return to the lineup last weekend. Ludtke had last seen game action on Oct. 25 and had surgery which kept him sidelined. Israels was injured in a faceoff by Western Michigan University forward Tim Washe during the Saturday night game in Kalamazoo.
North Dakota won last Friday night’s matchup 3-1, but Omaha rebounded on Saturday night with a 7-3 victory. Omaha raced to a 4-0 lead on Saturday, chasing starting goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter in the second period. The Fighting Hawks narrowed the lead to 4-2 before Israels scored his second goal of the night to give the Mavs a 5-2 lead. Omaha scored two more goals in the third period, including a power play goal and empty net goal, to seal the win.
Israels and Coach Mike Gabinet met with the media in advance of the series.
Israels had two goals and an assist last weekend in his return. “I think when you have an injury, it’s always good to get back and kind of get your feet moving. I thought Saturday, the team played one of our best games all year, so it’s really exciting. I think it just built a lot of momentum going into (the) playoffs. I am definitely happy I’m back,” he said.
The team’s resilience was put to the test with home ice on the line on Saturday night.
“I think it just kind of shows the group of guys we got, we got such a tight team,” Israels said. “It’s been built all the way from when we got here in July. And I think that’s one of things that championship teams are built out of, right? You need a team that sticks together and just cheers for each other all the time. I think when a guy gets hurt, like Tanner Ludtke — he’s been hurt all year, and guys are just so pumped for him to come back last weekend.”
The team is looking forward to home ice at Baxter Arena, Israels said.
“I think it’s going to be a really exciting weekend. The place is going to be packed. There’s a ton of energy coming from our locker room, the fans, and you can kind of feel it. So I think it’s going to be a really fun couple of games to watch. I know our guys are going to be ready. I’m going to be ready,” he said.
UND freshman forward Sacha Boisvert is on a goal-scoring streak, having scored at least one goal in the last six games. He was named to the NCHC’s All-Rookie Team for the season. Senior forward Carter Wilkie also is on a point streak, earning points in six straight games. Sophomore defenseman Jake Livanavage has 50 points already in his career. He received First-Team All-NCHC honors on Wednesday.
Omaha is led by graduate forward Sam Stange. Stange was named to the NCHC’s Second Team. Stange has 15 goals and 17 assists on the season. He had two goals and two assists in the win against UND on Saturday night. He has three game-winning goals and one shorthanded and one power play goal.
Simon Latkoczy was named goaltender for the NCHC’s First Team. He is the first goaltender in program history to be named to the first team in the NCHC. Through 29 games played, Latkoczy has an NCHC-leading 909 saves (good for seventh in the nation). His .925 save percentage is the second-best in the conference and his 2.68 goals-against average is the 10th best in the NCHC. In addition, Coach Gabinet was named a finalist for the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year award, the third time in the last five years he has been a finalist for the award.
The teams are pretty evenly matched. North Dakota has a 13-2-0 record when scoring at least four goals. The team that has scored first has won 30 of the last 35 meetings between Omaha and UND.
UND is 37-23-2 all-time in the series. Omaha and North Dakota also faced off at Baxter Arena in 2023 in the NCHC quarterfinals with Omaha winning Friday night and North Dakota winning Saturday and Sunday to advance to the Frozen Faceoff. They met up again in the NCHC semifinals last season in St. Paul, with Omaha winning 6-3 to advance to the NCHC championship game against Denver (despite North Dakota scoring first in that game, a fact Coach Gabinet pointed out with a smile at the press conference).
The Mavs will try to get off to a hot start.
“Obviously both teams are trying to score that opening goal, and you got to do everything in your power to try to be ready to go from the drop of the puck and make sure your process is focused on trying to get that first goal. And if it goes your way, great. If it doesn’t, you got to be able to respond appropriately as well,” Coach Gabinet said.
Midco Sports has paid for the broadcast rights to produce and air this weekend’s games. Alex Heinert and Jim Scanlan will provide play-by-play and analysis for the broadcast, which will also be aired on NCHC.tv. Taylor Budge will report from rinkside.
Omaha is trying to advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff for the second time in program history. The Mavs were the last of the original NCHC teams to make it to St. Paul for the conference semifinals and finals when they knocked off Colorado College in Colorado Springs last season in a thrilling three-game series.
Speaking of the UNO-UND matchup, Coach Gabinet said they’ve learned from what they saw in last week’s games.
“We know they’re a good team, right? They’ve shown it all season long there too. There’s lots of talent on that roster, and you got to play a certain way to be successful, and that’s where our focus is now,” he said.
The team is looking forward to the playoff atmosphere at Baxter Arena.
“I think the support (from fans) has been tremendous,” Coach Gabinet said. “As the guys have commented — for those guys on the bench — when that building’s like that, you don’t get tired. Your adrenaline starts flowing, you can feel the energy of the building, and it’s real. It’s real.”
“It’s been an amazing year, and you know, it’s not done yet. We got a job to finish here. I’m excited for hopefully a long playoff run,” Israels said.
Parking will be at a premium for the series due to multiple events happening at Baxter Arena (including the Aksarben Curling Irish Open Bonspiel on Holland Ice), Omaha Baseball games at Maverick Park, and activities going on in Aksarben Village. Fans are encouraged to carpool and arrive early to allow additional time for traffic and parking.
The west lot outside of the main entrance at Baxter — Lot 25 — is open to donors and those purchasing parking passes on a game-by-game basis (parking passes are required to park in that lot). The north lot — Lot 27 — offers free parking on a first-come, first-served basis, as does Lot 26 (west of the arena, across the creek). Omaha Athletics is also encouraging fans to park in one of the public garages at Aksarben Village.
For this weekend only, parking passes (and Maverick Room hospitality) access are just $15 per game. Purchase access here:
Fans should arrive early, especially if entering via the west entrance. Have digital tickets ready to scan in the Omaha Mavericks app (or add them from your MyMavs account to your phone’s wallet app). If you have questions, stop by the box office at Baxter Arena before the game or call 402-554-MAVS.
The clear bag policy remains in effect at Baxter Arena, and metal detectors are in place at all entrances. All concession stands are credit/debit card only (no cash).
Blue Line Club members and Maverick Room pass holders may enter the arena 90 minutes before puck drop. (Learn more about how to become a Blue Line Club or Maverick Room pass holder here.)
Promotions:
Friday, March 14
The first 2000 fans in attendance will receive a 2024-25 Omaha Hockey team picture.
Both games will be broadcast live on 1290 AM and on The Varsity Network app. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to face off with the FNBO Pre-Game Show. “Voice of the Mavs” Mike Vaillancourt will have the play-by-play, with color commentary provided by Terry Leahy.
TV:
All games this weekend will be streamed on NCHC.tv ($) and on Midco Sports in North Dakota. The NCHC is offering a “Quarterfinal Pass” for $29.95 to watch all games from all four best-of-three NCHC quarterfinal series from March 14-16 (between 8-12 games, including the Omaha best-of-three series). This package does not include auto-renew and does NOT include Frozen Faceoff games (which are carried exclusively on CBS Sports Network). Visit NCHC.tv for details.
NOTE: If you subscribe to NCHC.tv, choose OMAHA as your home team and the program will receive 80% of your subscription fee for new subscriptions (as well as renewals).
On this episode of the MavPuckCast, Jon and Jason discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent series at North Dakota — including video clips and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They look at the final National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) standings going into the conference playoffs — and give their “upset special” pick for the quarterfinals. They conclude the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming quarterfinal series against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Baxter Arena.
Next up: A trip to the Frozen Faceoff is on the line for Omaha. Win and they’re in. Lose, and the season is over. (Omaha Hockey does not have any mathematical chance for an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament, and it’s all math.)
Struggles, Standings, Fixing the NCAA Tournament, Sun Devils
On this episode of the #MavPuckCast, Jon and Jason discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent series at Lawson Ice Arena against the Western Michigan Broncos — includes their picks for “Player of the Week.” They analyze the current National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) standings, look at where UNO is ranked in the latest Pairwise rankings, and discuss ways to improve the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey tournament. They conclude the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming hockey series against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Baxter Arena.
Special thanks for your support of the podcast and MavPuck.com this season. Your support is greatly appreciated!!
Become a member of MavPuck.com: https://mavpuck.com/join
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Chapters:
00:00 - WMU Series Recap
19:45 - Players of the Week
23:40 - Standings, Pairwise, NCAA Tournament
40:05 - Arizona State Series Preview
After sweeping conference foe Colorado College, Omaha Hockey is back on the road again, traveling to Oxford, OH to take on the Miami RedHawks.
The RedHawks have struggled in conference play, generating a single point in a tie (overtime loss) to St. Cloud on Nov. 8. They have been swept in conference series with Minnesota Duluth, Omaha, North Dakota, and Denver. Miami's overall record is 3-15-2 and 0-10-0 in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). In Denver last weekend, Miami lost 4-1 on Friday and 6-2 on Saturday.
Omaha is 10-10-0 (6-4-0 in NCHC play). The team’s most recent series came against Colorado College at Baxter Arena on Jan. 10-12. The Mavs swept the Tigers 5-2 and 3-1.
Graduate forward Harrison Israels met with the media ahead of the series with the RedHawks. Israels, a transfer from Alaska, is pursuing his MBA at Omaha.
Asked about the sweep of Colorado College and the momentum it provides the team, Israels said, “We’ve had some ups and downs, but I think just the way our team has continued to build, it really showcases that.”
“That was some of our best hockey all year,” he added. “So I think it’s a good confidence builder for us as a group, and especially heading into a big weekend against Miami.”
He said the team isn’t taking the RedHawks lightly, despite their record. “I think the biggest thing in college is — any given night, anybody can beat anyone,” Israels said. “Every team in this league is good, and Miami’s got a lot of talent on their team.”
“We (have) to be focused. We (have) to be on our game. It’s going to be a good battle — Friday, Saturday — but we’re looking forward to it,” he added.
The Israels-Brady Risk-Myles Hilman line combined for 10 points on the weekend. “Me and Brady have played together for a long time, so I kind of understand where he wants to be, and where he usually is on the ice. And I think he kind of thinks the same with me. And then adding Myles for the past few games has been awesome,” Israels said.
Israels was once told he wouldn’t play beyond high school. “It definitely motivated me for sure. You always like to look back and kind of hit them with, ‘Well, you were wrong.’ It’s cliche to say the journey is the best part. But the best memories have been in spots where I didn’t think I was going to end up,” Israels said. “It’s funny how hockey works. Sometimes it just happens. But as you continue to work and just get better, good things can come your way. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Coach Gabinet said the Israels/Risk/Hilman line was “a big part of why we were able to get two big wins this past weekend.”
“Israels and Risk have played together in the past, and adding Myles to that line just brings a little bit of youth and some forechecking ability. There is some speed, some strength. They’re playing well together, which is great to see,” he added.
He said the Mavs would be ready for the upcoming series versus the RedHawks. “We’re going to make sure we’re finding ways to get better this week and keep growing, and be ready to go this weekend.”
“It’s just important to stay with a laser focus on trying to improve and trying to get better, and preparing for the weekend.”
With six NCHC conference points on the line, both teams know how important the series will be. Omaha is currently tied with Denver for fourth place in the NCHC. Miami is ninth place in the conference.
“Every game is a playoff game for us,” said Miami coach Anthony Noreen at his team’s weekly press conference.
“If there’s any game that we’ve had a really bad taste in our mouth about — that we’ve played this entire year — it’s that Saturday night game in Omaha,” Noreen said.
RedHawks are one of the most penalized teams in the nation (taking an average of 5 penalties a game). Omaha has had difficulty capitalizing on the power play this season, converting on just 10 of 73 opportunities (.137).
> Friday, 6:05 p.m. CT at the Steve Cady Arena (Oxford, OH)
> Saturday, 6:05 p.m. CT at the Steve Cady Arena (Oxford, OH)
Radio:
Both games will be broadcast live on 1290 AM and on The Varsity Network app. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to face-off with the FNBO Pre-Game Show. “Voice of the Mavs” Mike Vaillancourt will have the play-by-play, with color commentary provided by Terry Leahy.
In this week’s episode of the MavPuckCast, Jon and Jason discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent sweep of Colorado College at Baxter Arena. The podcast includes video clip highlights and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They talk about some “Things You Missed at Baxter Arena.” They discuss the current National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) standings, and where UNO sits currently. They conclude the episode with their preview and predictions for Omaha’s upcoming series against the Miami (OH) RedHawks at Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, OH.
Next up: Omaha returns to Baxter Arena for a two-game series against St. Cloud State University in NCHC conference action on Jan. 24-25. Both games will start at 7:07 p.m.
Omaha hockey head coach Mike Gabinet announced the program's leadership group for the 2024-25 season. Graduate student defenseman Nolan Krenzen will don the “C” as the 25th captain in program history. Krenzen, the inaugural recipient of the Menke Family Captain’s Scholarship, will be joined by graduate student forward Harrison Israels (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada/Alaska Fairbanks), junior defenseman Griffin Ludtke (Elko, Minn./Sioux City) and graduate student forward Sam Stange (Eau Claire, Wis./Wisconsin) to round-out the Mavericks' leadership group.
“Nolan Krenzen and our entire leadership group have earned this honor and responsibility,” said head coach Mike Gabinet. “With their actions, encouraging words and play on the ice, I have no doubt this group will do a remarkable job and continue to set the standard of what it means to wear an Omaha sweater and represent our program. This group epitomizes our Maverick mindset, core values as a program and will play a huge role in achieving our goals for the season.”
Krenzen scored two goals in 40 games last season for Omaha. The blueliner notched eight assists for 10 points with 27 total shots. Krenzen has appeared in 125 games for Omaha over the past four seasons and has been named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference and a Distinguished Scholar three times in his career.
A newcomer to Omaha this season, Israels was the leading goalscorer for Alaska Fairbanks last season, lighting the lamp 20 times in 2023-24. Playing in 33 of the 34 Fairbanks contests, he was tied for second on the team in points with 27. The centerman closed out the season on a five-game point streak where he produced four goals and added one assist. Israels served as the Nanooks’ captain for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
Ludtke returns to Omaha for his third season as a Maverick. He scored four goals for the Mavericks last season in 40 games played. The Elko, Minn. native recorded 23 helpers for 27 points with one game-winning score and one goal on the man-advantage.
A 2020 NHL fourth round draft pick, Sam Stange joins the Mavericks this season after totaling 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points at Wisconsin. Stange has three multi-point games under his belt including a two-goal performance against Penn State his freshman season. During his junior campaign, he logged points in four of five contests against Michigan, Minnesota and Lake Superior State.
The Mavericks had a complete turnover of team leadership after the 2023-24 season as Captain Nolan Sullivan and Assistant Captain Jack Randl completed their eligibility and Assistant Captain Matt Miller departed the team to pursue a professional hockey career.
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